The Collinsport Chronicle IX: Collinsport Syndrome
by Maryland Rose
Summary: The aftermath of a riot is a sad, ugly thing. Will the residents of Collinsport be able to put it behind them and mend their wounded relationships? And Roger has a bad case of anemia. Which one of the local vampires is responsible? Or is it someone else?
1. Chapter 1

Kira is dead, and the riot has died down. Those who had been fooled by her have learned the truth, and what had been done to their children. Barnabas has moved to Wyncliffe, and Julia has put him to work as an ombudsman/therapist. Willie has a broken arm. The sheriff has Derek spying on Carolyn as she continues to be an habitual troublemaker.

* * *

THE COLLINSPORT SYNDROME

Chapter 1

Roxanne Drew came into Julia's office.

A shiver ran through Julia. She looked the same way she had in 1970. And 1840...But it couldn't be her. her body had been dissolved by the sun's rays.

"Dr Hoffman?" Roxanne hesitated as if she wasn't sure what she was going to say.

"Yes. That's me." Julia's reply was more curt that in was needed. What do you want of me?"

"Help. If you are willing to give it to me."

"Depends on what kind of help you have in mind."

"I want to know who I am and where I come from."

"You don't know?"

"I call myself Roxanne Drew. But whether that is my real name..." she shook her head. "For all I know it might well be Josephine Knickerbocker Gundulf, or some other ridiculous name."

"You have no idea?"

"None whatsoever. As for your next question. I don't even remember not being a vampire. I know it must have happened, but how and when." she tapped her forehead "It is all a big blank...And I have other blanks..."

"How far back can you remember?'

"1850. Maryland."

"What can you remember? As far back as you can."

Roxanne's eyes became dreamy. "I remember a woman named Harriett Tubman... She asked me for help,... she knew there was something special about me... I had fed from her and unlike others she had not forgotten me... I remember being lost, not sure what to-do next. I figured that helping her would make me remember. Or at least know what I was supposed to be doing..."

"Is that all you remember?" Julia could not keep the skepticism from her voice.

"You don't like me much, do you, Dr. Hoffman?" Roxanne asked without rancor.

"It is not that..."

"You cannot forget what I did...what I tried to do to Maggie in 1970."

"In a way."

"I had my reasons."

"What were your reasons?"

"Since you are studying Sabrina's tapes you must also know that Maggie was a junkie at the time. And that I had kicked the habit myself not too long ago. She just hooked me again. As to why I attacked her the first time... let me ask you one thing? Have you ever loved somebody? Have you cared for him, protected him, given him hope when there was none? And then did you have to watch him turn away from you and go after some girl whose only claim on him was that she was sweet, and young, and virginal?"

"What does it have to do?" Julia bit her lip nervously.

"That's what happened to me and Sebastian. I picked him up from the gutter. If it hadn't been for me, he'd have O. D.'d a long time ago. I put him back on his feet. And the, came Maggie and took him away from me. Did you expect me not to fight for him?"

"Only it did not work."

"No. It didn't. It just got me kidnapped. I didn't enjoy the experience. And I appreciated even less being locked up while you told Sebastian to run away with his precious Maggie."

"But he came back for you."

"Because he found out that his precious Maggie was a junkie."

"And later you used it to blackmail her."

"It was easy money. Anyway, I got into plenty of trouble because of it." Roxanne became serious. "Dr. Hoffman, would you like a piece of advice? Better forget anything about Maggie being hooked on anything. And better find a way to protect yourself once you are done with the tapes.

"What do you mean?"

"Sabrina Jennings. I saw her kill Sister Kira. I agree that she needed killing, but still... You better not find out how far she will go to protect herself and Maggie."

"Thanks for the advice. Are you following it yourself?"

"Yes. I don't care to have her tape Sebastian's mouth and nose, as she did to that woman." Roxanne shivered in spite of herself. "She sat on her arms until she stopped twitching. And it took he a while to do so."

"Does killing bother you?"

"Yes. And don't look at me that way. I don't need to kill to sustain myself, so I don't."

"As far as you can remember."

"Yes. But that's not much, is it? Not with the kind of holes I got."

Julia sighed. "I think I may help you better if you told me as much as you could about yourself."

* * *

Barnabas studied the struggling man in the straightjacket. He had to be restrained, he knew, because otherwise she would hurt himself.

But how would being restrained like this help him to calm down?

He put his hand on the man's forehead and made his face turn. The man tried to escape him and snapped at his hand.

"Calm yourself. I mean you no harm."

The man hissed and tried to squirm away. Barnabas caught his head with both hands and kept staring straight at him.

"Look into my eyes." he said.

The man tried to look away, fighting Barnabas every inch of the way.

"What are you afraid of?"

"They..." he managed to answer "they want to kill me. They come with their pills and shots... they are doing it slowly.."

"Nobody wants to hurt you."

The man smiled ironically, moving his pinned arms as much as the straightjacket would allow.

That was an interesting problem. The restraints kept him from hurting himself and others. But they also reinforced his delusions.

It was David's problem all over again. The chain had prevented David from either running away or going back to the drugs. It also prevented him from doing anything that would make him want to be cured...

There had been a solution for David. It should work for this one, too.

As he was drinking he thought wryly about Julia ordering to feed off the patients, to help know what was in their minds. Well, he was doing as she asked.

The man's expression was somewhat calmer now. It was an artificial calm. But it was a start.

"You are going to be all right, now?' he said, while untying the straightjacket.

* * *

Xavier and Harry finished taking inventory of the damage.

"Not as bad as we had feared " Redwolf said.

"No. But you get here five minutes later and you'd have found me swinging from a lamppost."

"Well, we came as fast as we could" he shook his head. "It was a good thing that Phillip Todd had the brains to come to us as soon as he saw the trouble starting. I imagine that the opening will have to be delayed."

"Yes. And I will use some of the extra time to weed out the applications I received." he bit his lip angrily "Anyone who's a born again Christian goes to the circular file."

"I agree. If I never see any of them again it will be too soon for my taste. Do you want me to keep my men as security guards?"

"It would be better. The security the sheriff can provide is between zero and nonexistent."

* * *

Amy dreaded seeing Chris at the foot of her bed. His body tense, his face twisted, trying to look cheerful, trying very hard to make conversation and never finding an appropriate subject. Sighing...looking blankly ahead.

Why did he act like that? Was it because of what had been done to her? Did he think she was... defiled?

She whimpered. Would she ever able to forget those men grabbing her, throwing her down, tearing her clothes? Could she ever forget those faces, those hands? Could she ever be free of the revulsion that shook her body with every breath she took?

"Amy don't cry." Chris said bending over her.

But he pulled himself back. A man's hand over her body again...no, she couldn't handle that.

"He does not want to touch me" she thought, and sobbed again.

* * *

Roger showed his discovery to Delia.

"They were all buried in that place, just as I told you they would be."

Delia gulped. Those were strange contraptions, all right. She didn't remember seeing anything like it.

"Are you sure that was the site?"

"It was some yards off the site, but it was there."

"They were buried?" The unease she felt at seeing the strange objects made her voice queasy.

"Of course, it was buried." Roger looked at her. She looked strange...sounded strange...

"You think I am crazy, don't you? You don't believe me!"

"It is not that!"

"That's what you really think!"

"Roger, please."

For a moment it looked as if he would strike her. but then, some part of his mind remembered the beating he had taken from her. He just grabbed the box with the objects, and went to the door.

"If you don't believe me, Davenport will!"

* * *

There was a piece of string lying on the ground. Barnabas bent down and picked it up. He was tying one of its ends to the ball he always carried in his pocket when Sabrina came in.

"Don't tell me you have taken to saving string."

"Well," Barnabas did not want to admit he had. "I don't like to see tings lying around . How are you doing? he asked, quickly changing conversation.

"Could be worse." Sabrina said between clenched teeth.

"Too bad about Amy."

"Amy. And Chris. And everything."

"Trouble with Chris?"

"No. He just doesn't want me anymore." she turned her face away.

"Would you like a shoulder to cry on?" Barnabas offered.

"What's the matter? You hungry again?"

"Not really. But I developed this compulsion to lend my shoulder to people."

"Why do you do it? You get a kick out of it?"

"I did not realize it at first.. They just took advantage that I was there, and that my mouth was busy, and used my shoulder to cry on and tell me their troubles. Then they thanked me afterwards. And because listening to troubles over and over can be a bit depressing, I tried to do something about it. Either give advice, or come up with a solution...and when that worked, it made me feel good about myself, and what I had to do."

"And you want me to make you feel good about yourself now?"

"Well, if you think it helps you do it. But you should tell it to someone, even if it is not me."

"You've been reading psychology books again."

"They come with my new job."

"Well, what can your books say about Chris threatening to tear my throat out if I don't keep away from him?"

Barnabas nodded sadly. "He's very angry these days. And it isn't only because of Amy. There is too much rage bottled up inside of him."

"Rage? At me?

'You. Me. Julia. And now everybody in town.

"Why would he hate you or Julia? You are his friends. You helped him."

"We were always telling him what to do." Barnabas sighed "he never had the chance to make his own decisions. I used to think that my case and his were alike. But I was wrong. There was an experience of his that I didn't share."

Sabrina made herself listen without injecting a biting comment.

"He grew up with the knowledge of his curse. Can you imagine what growing up must have been like for him? Children get angry at adults. They try to rebel. And when they reach a certain age they do, and go on their own. But he...each time he tried that it was treated as the curse coming earlier than expected. He learned that he could not afford anger. He couldn't afford to rebel against adults. He couldn't afford to try to make his own decisions. He needed to be guided at all times, if he was to keep the wolf under control. So he's been always pushed around. For his own good. But for his own good or not, he still was pushed around twenty four hours a day. He never learned how to make decisions, because he was not allowed to.,"

"He did. He had a vasectomy. And never told me."

"Is that why you are so angry with him?"

"I can understand him doing it. But lying to me about it...going behind my back.."

"He was probably afraid that you'd not agree."

"I am not that hard to convince."

"But he does not know how to convince. All he knows is how to plead and how to obey. Megan told him to go into business with her, and he did. You told him you wanted a detective agency, so he agreed. Julia told him...well, you see. No one asked him what he truly wanted. Not until Amy moved back with him...There is a lot of rage bottled up in him, and now it is coming up."

"And what do you suggest I do?"

Barnabas sighed. He knew how little she would want to take his advice. As little as he'd want, were their positions reversed.

"Keep away from him. Leave him alone to find his way."

"To sink his money into another worm farm?"

"If needs be, yes. He needs to make his own mistakes too, and learn from them."

"That's easy for you to say."

Barnabas was about to reply to this when Julia appeared on the corridor, looking angry.

"Barnabas, will you come into my office? I want to talk to you."

Barnabas went, leaving Sabrina alone.

"With that kind of look, she may fire him today..." she said to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Did you take it upon yourself to remove the straightjacket from one of the patients?"

"It seemed best." Barnabas said simply.

"Best? By whose definition? Yours? He is violent."

"He won't be violent for a while."

"Can you guarantee that?"

"I made sure of it."

"Barnabas" Julia looked up, as if begging Heaven for more patience "you took a chance with him. Just because you can control people whose mind is functioning normally, you can't assume that you can do it with someone as disturbed as he is."

"I know why he is disturbed."

"So now you are diagnosing, too?"

"He has this idea that he is being persecuted."

"Well, it is relief that you agree with my own diagnosis of persecution mania."

"And you think that keeping him tied up like that is going to convince him that he's wrong? You are reinforcing his delusions that way."

"Reinforcing? What kind of talk is that? You've been reading B.F. Skinner lately?"

"It is the same as it was with David. Allow him more freedom and he might become more responsive."

"As David, eh?"

"Well, I understand that he talked to you about finally getting treatment for his lycanthropy. He is now willing because I removed his chain early on."

"I do not think that he's very willing now."

"I wasn't very willing to have you treat me, at first. "Barnabas said softly "you had to practically blackmail me into it."

Julia was silent for a while, looking daggers at him... wrong subject, he decided.

Finally she answered.

"Don't change the subject. You did wrong in removing the straightjacket, and worse without telling me about it."

"I apologize for that. But he will be better of it."

"Yes, Doctor?" Julia said with irony.

"Doctor Collins again." Barnabas thought. It was good to see that Julia had got her fighting spirit back. "I understand that you hired me to do this kind of job."

"Not to go over my head like this."

"Am I supposed to keep on making safe decisions all the time? Keep an eye on the nurses and orderlies, but never question the doctors? Tell you only what you want to hear? That's not why you hired me. You hired me because you didn't want another Nora Lane on your record."

"Still, you could have asked my opinion first."

"I apologize for that again. But it was late at night, and you were in Collinsport.""

"And I am going to override you on the straightjacket"

"Why? Just to punish me for going over your head?"

"It isn't that."

"You know that I am right in this, Julia. Give it a few days, at least."

Julia stared at him. "Are you willing to make yourself responsible for the man's behavior?"

"Yes."

"All right. You win." Julia grumbled "but be warned. Anything that goes wrong, you are fired."

* * *

"Sir" the deputy said "I want to talk to you about my pay."

"It is the regular pay for your grade" George said coldly.

"Yes." the man hesitated. "But...well...we have debts."

"Is it my fault that you live above your means?"

"I didn't... I could afford... I was expecting a raise. You said you were going to give it to me."

"Indeed I did. But that was because I thought you were a good officer."

"But I am! It is in my record!"

"Do you know what is in your record? You were sent to calm down a riot, and instead joined it. You were implicated in the following crimes: Assault and battery. Breaking and entering. Looting. Attempted murder. Arson. Rape...do I continue."

"But sir..."

"You behaved like no cop is supposed to behave."

"But them...I mean, Jennings, and Collins, and Graham, they are not human beings."

"Be thankful that they are not and can't afford to take you to court, or you'd be sitting in jail, awaiting trial."

* * *

Roger wondered what it was that kept Davenport so busy. He had been cooling his heels in the waiting room for hours. Everybody seemed to get in ahead of him.

The two men guarding the office, their guns plainly on sight, gave him amused looks.

Roger knew what those looks meant. "The town nut. See what crazy thing he'll do next."

"I'm not!" he wanted to scream at them "I am not crazy! I have been framed!"

But that would only make them laugh. And Roger couldn't stand having people laugh at him.

Xavier was tired by the time Roger got to him. His mending leg was hurting again, and he wanted nothing better than to go home. Instead he had to waste time listening to the town nut, who supposedly had information about U.F.O.s. Ten to one the von Danniken kind.

Roger came in, barely repressing his anger.

"I thought I'd never get to you."

"I am a very busy person, Mr. Collins. I can't afford to waste time."

"You think that I am a waste of time?"

Davenport was too tired and too sore for polite denial.

"I can easily imagine a thousand things I'd rather be doing instead of meeting you."

"You think that I am crazy? "Roger stared at Xavier hard, expecting the usual polite denials.

"That seems to be common knowledge. What are you going to tell me? That some green men took you for a ride in a flying saucer? That they chose you to give a big secret to mankind? That they told you they were the ones who built the pyramids?

"It was nothing of the sort." Roger ground his teeth.

"No? Got a new yarn? They were not little green men? They were tall and had hands like lobster claws?"

"So this is it!" Roger screamed angrily. "Don't believe me if you don't want to! I will go at it alone! And you'll be sorry later when you find out about it!"

"Goodbye, Mr. Collins" Xavier said dryly.

* * *

The lights shone out of the windows of Collinwood, illuminating the grounds below.

Roxanne stood in the gardens, looking at the building and wondering why it seemed so familiar to her...

Had she been inside before? She didn't remember having done it in 1970...

"Roxanne" she heard Sebastian call her "Roxanne, come here."

It was a short flight to where Sebastian was. It was a miracle that she could see him again, touch him again, after what Kira had forced on them both.

"You should wear a sweater" she said, snuggling up to him "you got goose bumps"

"I will" he said "You were at Collinwood, weren't you?"

"I felt that...that I started remembering."

"Isn't Dr. Hoffman enough for that?"

"We just started...and this...this seemed so close."

"You could be arrested for trespassing."

"No"

"From what I hear about Carolyn Collins, she would."

Roxanne shook her head.

"Is it so important that you remember?"

"It is. Remember what we talked about?"

"Whether I want to...to be like you?"

"I love you so much that I can't bear the thought of one day losing you. But if I did it, and hated me for it, it would be much worse. For me and for you. If I forced this change on you and you regretted it..."

"You are not forcing me. I love you. I want to share fully with you. If it can't be on my terms, let it be on yours."

"I want to know how...how I got it. Who did it and why...I want to know if I hated him for it... I want to be sure..."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The woman moved nervously towards Willie's shop. To do so she had to pass in front of Davenport's office and bear the stares and "pleasantries" of the Indian guards.

She made herself not to listen to it, and kept her pace steady until she reached the shop.

Willie and Louella were straightening the shelves, Louella doing the hard work, while Willie, due to his broken arm, just checked against his inventory.

"Mr. Loomis" Sandy said.

Louella turned "Sandy!" she said. For a while she remembered the good times she had shared with Sandy in the Bible classes. But then she saw her again at the riot. She looked back at Willie's arm, and her face hardened.

"Have you come to see if there is something you forgot to break or burn?"

"Lou...please..."

"I asked please of you, then, didn't I? You'd have killed Willie and me just like that."

"I didn't..."

Willie turned to her. "You did. I saw you. So stop acting, and tell us why you came here."

"It is the sewing machine. I know that I owe you money on it."

"Have you brought your payment?"

"No. I can't"

"You know what that means. If by the end of the month the money isn't here, I will repossess the machine."

"But I need it!"

"We need the money."

"In a couple of months I will be able to start selling my clothes."

"In a couple of months is a long time. And why should I give you an extension? I gave you breaks in the past, and what did I get in return?"

He made a gesture towards the walls where the scars of the riot were still visible. "Is that why you tired to burn down this place? Too burn my records, so that I could not prove that you owed me money?"

"We did it because of Buffy!" there was defiance in Sandy now.

"You did it to get out of paying your debts. And don't bother crying. It will get you nothing. Don't come back unless it is with either the money or the sewing machine."

* * *

"So Carolyn was as taken by surprise by the riot as everyone else" George said, shrugging.

"I imagine that when it broke out, she saw the chance, and went after Davenport."

"Kira was behind the riot. She wanted to get Megan, and a chance to retrieve the notebook." George grinned at Derek "It wasn't your fault. I put you to watch the wrong person."

Derek did not seem too cheered by this.

"Is something bothering you?" George asked.

"Why would they want to hurt me? They had no reason to. I never gave them any trouble."

"Lynch mobs do not need reasons."

"But why me? What had I ever done to them?"

"Well, you were of the...wrong persuasion. And you lived openly with Delia without benefit of marriage."

"I never thought it would be like this. People like that. Decent, law abiding people."

"Man is a nasty animal. And he's never worse than when he hunts in packs."

"And it is going to go on like this?"

"You don't have to." George felt compassion for Derek. A likeable con-man, a small time crook, and a very scared customer. "You could go see Julia Anderson."

"Dr. Hoffman?"

"She cured Barnabas once, and it wasn't her fault that he got re-infected later. I understand that the cure is highly specific. But you can still give it a try." he smiled a bit "she might welcome another guinea pig."

"She could me cure of these?" Derek tapped his fangs.

"She could try."

"What for?' Derek said savagely "So that the next time there is a riot I can hunt with the pack instead of running from it? No, sheriff. I am not perfect. But I have never joined a necktie party, and I never intend to."

* * *

"We are in luck, kid." Megan said to Tammy. "We got the contract with the Environmental Center."

"It is tokenism. They want me because I am black."

"And originally they did not want me because of what I am... It is still good money. We need it."

"It is demeaning."

"I've had to do worse myself for money" Megan sighed. "Maybe they will hire you because you are black. Or because they have heard through the grapevine how you stopped Kira... In any case, they will rehire us because we are good."

"Why did you hire me? To get contracts that you could not get before?"

"Does that really bother you? You still doubt yourself after the way you took down Kira Petofi and helped shut down a KGB operation?... You know that I cannot afford to turn down any kind of money. But the reason I hired you was because George said you were good. And because you are good, I did not fire you, in spite of the way you treat Joe, Chris, and Angelique."

Tammy grumbled.

"By the way, what happened between you and Barnabas? George mentioned something, but I want the whole story out of you."

"I went to see him." Tammy shrugged.

'Yes. You saw him. What for?"

"It was after I found out about you. George said that he could show me how it was."

"Show you what?"

"The biting part."

"You went to him to get yourself bitten?"

"I was curious about it."

"And you treated him like you treat everyone else?"

Tammy shrugged in agreement.

"Did he show you?"

"Yes. And then told me to get lost."

"Did he?" Megan grimaced appreciatively "Good to see that he is standing up for his rights."

"His rights?"

"What would you do if somebody came to your house and asked you to show your great sense of rhythm?"

"I'd kick him in the balls."

"Why did you expect Barnabas to react differently? You went to him, and before you finished introducing yourself you treated him as if he was only a machine to perforate necks. And he still gave you a demonstration, which is more that I would have given you."

"Why would he?"

"Why would he have feelings that could be hurt, you mean? Why shouldn't he? It would be a very nice world if you were the only one with feelings. But they have them. In the few months you have been here you have hurt Barnabas' feelings, you have hurt Joe's feelings, you have hurt Chris's feelings, and, believe it or not, you have hurt my feelings. Well, baby, respect is a two way street. We have to work with you. If you cannot be friendly, you can at least be polite."

"What does that mean?"

"No more flea powder for Chris. No more nuts or nutcrackers for Joe. No brooms for Angelique. Try learning phrases like "good morning" "good evening" "please" and "thanks" Basically, stop acting like a pain in the ass."

* * *

Roxanne hugged the stone walls of Collinwood. As her fingers touched the cold stone, the memories jumbled inside her mind.

...Something moved in there... a face...a name...she tried to identify it, but it flickered one moment and it was gone...

No. It must stay with her. There must be a way to recapture it.

But as she pressed the fingers harder against the wall, the last trace of the memories vanished..

"No!" she said angrily "You cannot do this to me!"

But it could and it did. Roxanne tried hitting the wall, as if by doing so, she could force it to talk. But all she got for it was scraped knuckles.

...But even if you find out who you really are, and what's your real family - she recalled Sebastian's woods.- what good it will do you? Everybody you knew should be dead by now...

Not everyone. One remained. And it was that face that she wanted to recapture. Until she did, she did not dare to love Sebastian.

Maybe she should let Sebastian go. Let him make a new life for himself.

Give up Sebastian! Never!

...Today or thirty years from today, what is the difference?...

Unless she was willing to risk his hating her one day.

She had to get the answer. And she knew she would find it here, in Collinwood.

There was a movement behind her in the bushes. She paid it no attention. She moved away from the wall. She wouldn't make it talk today. She looked up at the lighted windows.

She barely noticed the small bat fluttering near one of the windows when she was seized from behind.

"Don't make a noise or I'll break your neck." Roger said, pulling at her hair. "Why are you here? Why are you spying on us?"

"I don't spy.."

"Yes, you are." Roger made her turn around and slapped her. "you better tell me the truth."

Up by the windows Derek noticed the commotion.

"Damn it!" he thought "I have to blow my cover, now."

Then he saw Roxanne push Roger violently away making him fall backwards.

"Well, she can take care of herself" Derek thought, relieved.

Roxanne did not want to leave Collinwood yet. Not without a last look, one last attempt to recapture those fleeting images. So Roger had time to get up and hit her hard in the stomach with his fist.

Roxanne doubled up. Then she rose again, jumped over Roger, and forgetting her caution about possible drug addicts, bit Roger hard on the throat and drank greedily.

"So she's one of us" Derek thought. "I hope this teaches Roger not to go around beating up on people."

Roger tried to push her away, to tear her teeth from his throat. He fell backwards, still beating Roxanne's chest with his fists.

And Roxanne drank, as if by drinking she could force the memories to come back. Or at least punish Collinwood for denying them to her.

Carolyn came to the door attracted by Roger's screams.

"Uncle Roger? What happened?'

She opened the door and the rectangle of light caught Roxanne bending over Roger.

"What are you doing? Carolyn shouted.

Roxanne lifted her head, blood still on her lips, and stared at Carolyn.

"How dare you?" Carolyn rushed to Roger's side.

Roxanne vanished.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sabrina stomped into George's office.

"What do you mean by telling me to get Roxanne out of town.?"

"Well, hello Sabrina. How do you feel today?" George smiled while bracing himself for the explosion.

"Exactly what do you mean by that order of yours?"

"I want to keep this place as quiet as possible. Anyway, she will be more useful to you in Washington. You need her to keep Maggie under control until Julia figures out what to do with her... Sabrina, I read Kira's journal. So did Megan, and of course, Grigorenko. And Maggie is a ticking bomb. She won't stay in the hospital much longer."

"If you repeat any of this.."

"There is no need to threaten, Sabrina. You are not the only one who wants to keep this hushed up. I got plenty of fathers and mothers who want to do just that."

"You are right. But I wanted to stay a bit longer."

"Well, you can't. Roxanne attacked Roger last night, and he's in bad shape."

"Roxanne wouldn't."

"She did it all right. I got confirmation from one of my men. I know that it was Roger who attacked her, and she defended herself. But I cannot say so without blowing the cover of my man, and I want him to keep watching Carolyn. It does not help that Roger is in bad shape now, and Carolyn is furious."

"So it is just easier to ride Roxanne out of town?"

"You know it is."

* * *

Barnabas shouldn't have expected a warm reception from either Carolyn or Quentin. Seated apart, their faces drawn, there was little warmth that either felt or wanted to share.

"Julia told me what happened." he began to explain.

"Are you sorry that you are not the one who put him there?" Carolyn said venomously.

"No, I am not."

"That girl was one of your former girlfriends, wasn't she?" Carolyn turned to Iris who had accompanied Barnabas "That's what you are going to look like one of these days if you keep hanging around this cousin of mine."

Iris shrugged. It wasn't worth the trouble of answering.

"And probably the same thing will happen to Roger." Carolyn added truculently.

"It won't" Barnabas tried to calm Carolyn.

"How? With your visiting him? Did you come because she didn't do the job properly and you have to do it yourself?"

"Carolyn..."

Iris tugged at his sleeve. "Better leave" she whispered " it is not worth getting into a screaming family argument."

She led him away to where Roger's doctor was checking his notes.

"Is Roger so bad off?"

"Yes. But he will improve fast. It wasn't so much the loss of blood as the anaphylactic reaction."

"Anaphylactic?"

"You managed to skip that term while reading Dr. Hoffman's books? It means that the walls of the blood vessels become permeable and start leaking plasma to the tissues. If it gets serious enough, the blood vessels collapse because they are not holding enough volume. Stress can cause it. Physical stress, I mean."

"I see." Barnabas thought about it. "That's why I don't get bad reactions myself anymore."

"Yes. When you were taking it by force, you caused a lot of internal bleeding at the same time. It wasn't properly bleeding, but some of the veins did not hold enough volume."

Barnabas shook his head. If he had only known earlier...

"You think that Roger will recover?" he asked.

"I don't see why not. And to be on the safe side, the sheriff ordered the girl to get out of town."

* * *

"You can relax, David. Think of nothing." Julia instructed David.

"Is this going to get rid of the wolf? Just lying here and talking to you?" David couldn't help being skeptical.

"It is a good way to start. I need to know more about you." she sighed" but I wish you cooperated more."

"I cooperate, don't I?"

"I am not sure."

"But I do anything you ask me to."

"With the kind of power that Barnabas has over you, you have no choice but to."

"Barnabas has nothing to do with this!"

"There are fresh wounds in your wrist." Julia pointed glacially.

"So?" David looked down at his arm. "All he does is tell me to come back to the cage at the full moon and to keep off drugs."

"Why did you start on drugs?"

David stiffened.

"You see? You are not cooperating."

"But I don't remember!" David protested..

"Don't remember or don't want to?"

"I don't remember! Anyway, what doest it have to do with the wolf? That's what you are treating me for, isn't it?"

"I am treating you for your problems. And personally, I think that drugs are as big a problem as lycanthropy."

* * *

Frank Torrance came down the train. Whatever else could be said of this new job in the boondocks, at least it was at a safe distance from Sabrina Jennings and her machinations. And also from the hot, humid weather of Washington, D.C.

He wondered if he'd feel the same way after a couple of Maine winters.

Goodbye cockroaches. Hello mosquitoes. Goodbye foreign film festivals. Hello available parking. Goodbye excitement. Hello low rents.

And he already knew people in this town.

Angelique was waiting for him.

He smiled at her. She smiled back, then began helping him with his bags.

They loaded her car.

"Do you have a place to stay?" she asked.

"A room at the hotel."

"Would you want to move in with me?"

* * *

"You didn't say a word in there" Carolyn said to Quentin accusingly.

"There was no need to. You managed nicely."

"As usual, you are useless."

Quentin shrugged "I nearly killed Davenport to please you. If you call that useless..."

"But you failed. You always fail."

"It wasn't my fault."

"It never is. You are such a victim of circumstance. You couldn't help brining Kira and letting her loose. You couldn't know that she was using you instead of the other way around. You just couldn't resist the opportunity to get back at Barnabas and Willie, first from taking your mistress and then for making a fool out of you with the Indians. Poor, poor Quentin. He never gets anywhere."

"I got married to you."

"Yes. You couldn't help that either. It was either marrying me or going to jail for embezzlement." she looked curiously at him. 'How do you do it? You are always in trouble. And stupid trouble, which is worse."

"I.. I try.."

"Yes, you try. You are trying...You are very trying." she turned away. "you bore me, you know that?"

"Why not divorce me, then?"

"You know why not."

"Yes. You want to be Carolyn Collins, and that your children be Collinses too. I provide that magical last name. That I delivered. I stay out of your bed so that you don't have children with the werewolf taint. I do not even ask who are you choosing to impregnate you... I don't even frequent the same places you do."

"Yes." Carolyn said. "You are a real doll. Too bad you never grew up."

* * *

Phillip decided that the Old house looked livable enough. There was still some damage left from the riot, but nothing that could not wait to be fixed. And he was tired. After the way he had worked today, he might as well take a rest and practice on the sax.

But no sooner had he blown the first notes when there was a knock on the door.

Sighing, he let Iris in.

"He's gone back to Wyncliffe, I see." Iris said "I thought he'd stay at least one more day."

"He had this case that he was worried about..."

"I guess that I have to learn to accept it."

"Yes, he's moved in with Julia."

"You make it sound like...like he's living with her."

"Well, he is."

"I mean, shacking up..."

"Well, it might be" Phillip could not help teasing Iris. "Julia always had her eye on him."

"It is not funny" Iris said curtly.

"Don't tell me that you are jealous." Phillip was surprised. I thought that you two had this arrangement..."

"Yes, we don't have a commitment " Iris said, trying to remind herself.

"Would you like to have one?"

"A commitment to him?" Iris bit her lip "Do you know what that would mean?"

"That scares you?"

"It would mean not just for months...nor for years...but... It is too long a time...I guess that I have to accept that he has a job out of town."

"It seems that he likes it there."

"Like a kid with a new toy."

"Does he have trouble feeding there?"

"Julia turned him loose among the patients."

"The patients?" there was a slight revulsion in Phillip's voice.

"He's working hard, and his time is worth something. As long as the patients get good service out of him, they are just paying him in kind."

Phillip did not look too convinced.

"And Julia things that if he does that, it enhances his effectiveness as a therapist. He forms stronger bonds with the patients, and thus can treat them better. "

"And you believe that?"

"Julia believes that, and she's the doctor."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"So you left the Davenport job?" Frank asked Barnabas.

"Not permanently...Xavier said that he'd keep me as a consultant... If there's any trouble he'll call me."

"But now there is no trouble with the Indians.

"None. And the riot gave them the chance to come into town with guns and play the U.S. Cavalry." Barnabas chuckled "a topsy-turvy role for Indians to play, but no worse than what goes on in town. In any case, they enjoyed themselves greatly."

"Well, it came out all right."

"No. Not all right. There was a lot of damage done. You heard about Amy, have you?"

"Yes."

"Well, she'll get better with time." he sighed " what about you? Are you visiting?"

"No. I have been transferred. Rubbed too many bureaucrats the wrong way, and here I am."

"Oh, I see."

"That's what I got for testifying for Representative Evans in her committee"

"She didn't protect you?"

"Against the combined forces of the bureaucracy?" there was some bitterness in his laughter. "You should know better than that."

"I am sorry."

"I had to do it, though. I couldn't go on knowing what I knew and do nothing about it. Do you know what it's like to look into a mirror and don't like what you are seeing?"

As soon as he said it, he realized to whom he had said it. "I didn't mean that...I..."

"Of course." Barnabas was amused "I understand. Are you going to be working here?"

"Yes. Your cousin falls under my jurisdiction again. It is going to get quite lively. Is it true she got married?"

"Yes. To cousin Quentin."

"So she's now Carolyn Collins." he looked at Barnabas significantly. "she's quite a dynast, that lady."

"I think so." Barnabas became serious again. "Xavier Davenport is under your jurisdiction, too."

"And he told you to tell me to look the other way, I see." Frank said severely.

"I didn't mean that." Barnabas protested. "only that you take into consideration that he's got a rocky start."

"You are just like your cousin Carolyn" Frank said severely. Then broke into a grin. "I love the way you don't notice when somebody is putting you on."

"You were?"

"Yes." he dug into his pocket "you want one of these?"

"It is a..."

"Yes. it is a joint. Do you want it? Just to see what it is like?"

Barnabas looked curiously at then hand-rolled cigarette."

"You know that there is nothing wrong with pot. Just try it. Try it! You'll like it!"

"But you are a Federal Employee,.."

"Alas, I am only a poor corrupt official."

"That's from 'Casablanca', isn't it?""

"Yes. What's now your next line?"

"I am appalled, appalled that there is pot smoking going on here." Barnabas offered .

"So let's arrest the usual suspects." Frank lit the joint.

"And to think that I came to Wyncliffe for the waters..." Barnabas took the joint from Frank and puffed at it.

"Alas, I was misinformed..." Frank said when Barnabas returned the joint to him.

Half an hour later Julia came down, attracted by some off-key singing. And there they were, Frank and Barnabas, in each other's arms, singing something that sounded like 'Greensleeves'. But the lyrics...

The lyrics were X-rated.

* * *

Kenneth had finally been able to stretch for a few moments. It had been a hard day. And then, hunting those books for Barnabas. Eh wondered what Julia would say if he knew of Barnabas' choice of reading material.

She had been quite mad telling him about Barnabas getting high on marijuana. And singing an X-rated version of 'Greensleeves' yet. He wished he could have seen it.

As he chuckled mentally at the spectacle those two much have offered, he noticed the knock at the door.

"Who is it?" he asked. going to the door.

"Chris Jennings."

"Ah, Fido." he said to himself, as he opened the door.

Chris looked ragged and breathless. He had bag under his eyes and a bitter expression on his face.

"How do I join the Humanist Movement?"

Kenneth thought for a moment. "Why?" he finally asked.

"Because of what they did to Amy"

Just as he suspected. He sighed. "That is not a good reason. It is not enough."

Chris looked angry. Remembering what could happen if Chris got too angry, he relented and invited him in.

"Now, Chris. I don't want to discourage you, but you have to understand that you need a better philosophical basis than just anger.

"You know what they are like." Chris said venomously.

"Yes. I do." Kenneth sighed. "Whenever I lose my patience with the dogmatism of my friends, I read Christian literature to remind myself who taught the tricks. They also taught the Communists. It wasn't a coincidence that Stalin went to a Jesuit school. And they have the most awful short memories. Look at the abortion debate, for instance. How dare anybody decide who is human and who is not? But the historical record shows that they did exactly that themselves. When the Roman Empire became Christian, those who weren't Christians lost their citizenship. They lost their civil rights, for starters. Later they would either be put to the sword or sold into slavery. The Christians decreed that non-Christians were not human beings..."

"Just as they decided that I am not a human being.

"And you are so mad that you want to become an atheist to punish them?"

"Yes."

"Chris, if not liking what some people do was enough to convert, we'd spend all our time converting in and out of the most outlandish beliefs. What happened here was regrettable. But people do not need religion to stage a lynch mob. They only need to believe that they can get away with it. We are still the same monkeys just down from the trees, and this kind of behavior is in our genes. As for Christianity...well, I can make you a list of Christians that the world would be better off without. And also of Christians like Martin Luther King or Stanley Mooneyham who make me feel very humble... As for what to believe, I am not so sure what to believe anymore. After meeting you and Barnabas, my skepticism is disappearing fast."

"In other words, it is no." Chris said, under his breath."

"I don't see any point in you going through with this. But you can think about it. If in a couple of weeks you are not so angry, but are still interested, they I will give you some literature, and have a talk."

* * *

Big Bill looked at the piece of carved antler.

That kid was good. With only a few lessons he had managed a trick which, he knew from experience wasn't easy to figure out.

A bright kid, with good steady hands.

...Too bad that he was one of Kira's congregation.

But shouldn't an exception be made in his case? So much talent going to waste...

..."I don't want those born again freaks around here." That was what Davenport had said. And while he got his money from Barnabas, he had no reason to believe that Barnabas would be more understanding. They had torn up his place and hurt his friends. Surely that was enough to sour anyone.

Sighing, Big Bill laid the carved piece on the table.

* * *

Amy laid on her pillow, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You are crying?' Barnabas touched her face gently "why?"

Amy opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came.

"Don't try to speak. Use the writing pad."

Amy didn't move.

"Whatever it is, write it here." he encouraged her gently "don't be afraid. Just write down what is bothering you."

Amy took the pad reluctantly. With effort she wrote one word.

"Chris."

"Anything wrong with Chris? You miss him?"

Amy shook her head, then suddenly began writing again.

"Don't want me" Then again, she wrote even faster. "Thinks I'm dirty., Defiled."

"You are not." Barnabas touched her arm, squeezing it softly to reassure her.

"He thinks so."

"Why do you believe this?"

"Doesn't touch me. Doesn't look at me." Suddenly her anger and frustration were coming out. "Just sits there. Looks miserable."

"He never touched you? Never hugged you?"

Amy shook her head bitterly.

Impulsively Barnabas took her in his arms. Amy nestled there, holding him as closely as he could.

He was aware of the hunger in him, He tried to hold back, but Amy's whimper told him that she would interpret his restraint as rejection.

After all, she was a patient here, and he had been doing it with them... Payment for services rendered, as Julia put it. And a way to build a rapport with them that would help treat them...

If only there had not been that memory of that time when Chris had broken his collarbone... Would Amy recall that other time?

But the hunger in her arms told him that she wouldn't. It was not the same thing. That time, he had done out of a desire to hurt. Now it was her need that mattered.

He tilted her head to the side, very gently.

* * *

Frank noticed the Indian guards standing by the door, their weapons all too visible.

"What is this?" he thought "the Revenge of Wounded Knee?"

One regulation he was going to enforce was about those guns. If making sure they didn't get fired accidentally didn't come under the heading of occupational safety, nothing would.

The door opened and he was admitted to Davenport's presence.

He thought that Davenport looked like some kind of wading bird, tall and thin. And the bare legs below the shorts further emphasized the resemblance.

"Mr. Davenport?" he extended his hand. "I am Frank Torrance, the local OSHA agent."

"OSHA?" Xavier's eyes narrowed into slits. "Frank Torrance you say?"

"Yes." There was something familiar about Davenport..."Pardon me, but have we met before?"

"Indeed we have." Davenport rose from his seat. "name of Charles Simmons mean anything to you?"

"Charles Simmons?" Suddenly Frank remembered where he had seen Davenport before.

"Sure. He had a small business and was doing quite well. Until an ambitious OSHA inspector decided to get a promotion out of him. That was you, wasn't it? You applied the statutes so well that you wiped him out. Not only that, he killed himself because of you."

Frank, his face white, began searching for the doorknob behind him.

"Well, he was my friend, in case you want to know. And to find you here, waiting for me...What do you want? Another promotion? You are not getting it out of me, let me tell you. In fact, if you come anywhere near my office, I'll have you shot on sight."

* * *

"Roger is still the same? " Barnabas asked Julia.

"Yes." Julia answered "I just called the hospital. They cannot explain it, but the blood count is still low. Roxanne did more damage than we thought at first."

"I have been thinking about Roxanne." Barnabas said dreamily "Is it possible that she is the same one we met in 1840?"

"You know what happened to that Roxanne."

"Yes. I do." his face darkened. "we should have given her a chance."

"It was too late for that."

"It was murder, what we did to her. Turning her over to her brother..."

"You know what Angelique had done to her."

"There should have been another solution... She...she called for me. And I was the one who delivered her to Randall..."

Julia did not interrupt. He was in one of his black moods again. Less than a week ago he was having the time of his life with Frank Torrance. And now he had hit the depressive cycle.

She tried not to think about Roxanne Drew. None of them. Not the one in Parallel Time who Barnabas mourned as dead, while Julia kept the secret of her being still alive. Not the 1840 one. She knew why she had encouraged Barnabas to get rid of her completely. As for the 1970 Roxanne, she had spared her at firsts, but only because she knew that she had to get Barnabas himself to agree to destroy her.

"We believed we did the right thing, then." Julia offered.

"What is the right thing, Julia,? Tell me. I don't know anymore."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Kenneth checked his watch. Julia wouldn't be free for a while, so that gave him enough time to deliver the books to Barnabas.

As he went down the stairs, he pinched himself to make sure he was actually doing it. Smuggling B.F. Sinner to a vampire.

But that word did not fit Barnabas very well. Oh, he was it, no doubt about that. But when you got to know him, that word left too many sides of him unexplained.

What was he? An incurable busybody? A fool that rushed in where angels feared to thread? Dear Abby? A relic from the sixties?

The sun was setting. If he hurried, he'd be able to see him rise.

Somehow he sensed that Barnabas would not like to see his privacy invaded. But he was curious, and he had come deliver books.

The lid was closed when he came in. Kenneth lifted it and studied Barnabas' face.

It was pale and immobile. He touched it. Cold and somewhat rigid. He ran his fingers over the lips, parting them so that he could look at the teeth.

"I wonder what Paul Kurtz would say if he saw this."

He chuckled at the thought. "There are more things in Heaven and Earth, dear Paul, that can be dreamed in your philosophy. But that's true of any philosophy, not just yours. Philosophy is a simplification of a very complex world. So the two will ever be at odds."

He looked a the hands. He had lost one nail...That had been the girl, Elsa, with her needles... It had been a cruel thing to do, yet he had to admit that the kid showed many of the good qualities of a scientist...

Barnabas' eyeballs fluttered and he stared at Kenneth's face.

"Kenneth..."

"Please, don't get up on my account." Kenneth said quickly. "I came deliver the books."

Barnabas accepted the package.

"Julia didn't see you?"

"She didn't"

"Good. I could get into trouble with her if she found out what I was reading?"

"You afraid she might fire you?"

"She fires me Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, I threaten to resign. Sundays we call a truce..." Barnabas got up and stretched out the stiffness remaining in his muscles. "She has her own ideas, and I have mine. And unless I force her to pay attention to my ideas, she will go on having things her own way."

"Not to mention that times that she caught you smoking marijuana."

"Oh, that?" Barnabas smiled at the recollection. "I am not going to apologize for that. If did me a world of good, to be able to act silly and have a good laugh. There is so much tragedy that a person can be forced to undergo. Eventually the brain wants some time off."

"Anything else I can bring to you?"

"Yes. Try to find Amy's school material. I want her to prepare for the equivalence test."

"So soon?"

"Anything will be better for her than just lying there, with nothing to do but feel sorry for herself. That brain of hers needs exercising."

* * *

"It move a little better, don't you think?" Willie moved his arm.

'Yes, it does." Louella acknowledged. "Yet..."

"Anyway, it is healthy, you know."

"Still, you think it is a good idea to go jogging so soon?"

"I told you. I am not an invalid."

Louella sighed. Kenneth had recommended that Willie rested, yet here he was, training for the Boston Marathon.

"Why not come with me, darling?" Willie offered "after all, we got those twin T-shirts. The ones we got in Harrisburg" he laughed "when people see me with it, they give me a wide berth."

Louella didn't feel much like jogging. But if she could keep Willie from getting too tired that way, she was willing to do it.

"I am going to change, then."

So she came out, with him, in twin T-shirts that said 'I have been to Three Mile Island, and I glow in the dark.'.

* * *

Davenport...Charles Simmons.

He had done it. He had killed a man.

Frank shook himself. He should snap out of it. Couldn't let himself go like this.

He knew what it was. It was the place, getting to him. There was nothing to do. Not much in the way of movies. The theater, you got to be kidding. Social life meant the Blue Whale or some place like that...

It was a very calm and quiet place. If you wanted to go bananas, then it offered plenty of opportunity and privacy to do so, as long as you were quiet about it.

Downstairs, Angelique was busy.

Damn it! It was her, too. Why had he gone back to her? Didn't he know how things stood between them? he was supposed to be a substitute for Barnabas, a sort of consolation prize.

She didn't mention his name in front of him. There was no need to. There were so many meaningful silences, until a conversation between them was nothing but a meaningful silence punctuated by a few inane phrases.

...So what else was to occupy his mind? What else but Xavier Davenport? And Charles Simmons, and the way he had gotten his first promotion?

* * *

George wasn't in his best mood. And Iris did not help make it better.

"Why not write the fabric as a loss and collect the insurance on it?" he offered.

"And let them keep it? Let them used it without having paid for it?"

"It might well have burned."

"No chance. They knew it was good stuff, and went for it."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Search their houses."

"I have no search warrant."

"How much of a search warrant did they need when they stormed my shop?"

George repressed a four letter word. Sure, those people had brought it on themselves. Still, there were limits..

"Just because there was a riot does not mean that I have the right to suspend constitutional guarantees."

Iris snorted. Like everyone else, she had the feeling that the Bill of Rights was fine as long as it spoke of _her_ rights.

And Barnabas being away did not make things easier.

"I am sorry" George continued, placatingly "my advice is to settle with the insurance company. I will back you up on any claim you make."

It was a full ten minutes before Iris gave up on him as hopeless and left, muttering under her breath. As she did, George reached for the aspirin supply.

He had barely swallowed it when the door opened again.

"Dr. Davies? What can I do for you?'

"It has to do with Roger Collins. You said that the...girl who attacked him had left town."

"Yes. She did."

"Well, you better make sure she did that, because Roger's blood count is not getting any better."

* * *

"You've been evading me lately" Barnabas told David.

"I do not. You are just too busy. And so am I. You know that I got a new job here, in the A&P at Wyncliffe.

"Yes. I know."

"I thought it was better to be out of town."

"Do you like it working there?"

David grimaced "The money is good" he admitted "but nowhere as much as it can be made from dealing.."

"David!" Barnabas was alarmed "I thought you were through with that."

"I am. Yet the money was good."

"I guess it is about time I made sure of you again" Barnabas caught David's wrist..

"Please, don't" David tried to shake off Barnabas'' hand.

"We have to. You know on what terms I released you."

"But I am clean now! And I am coming to Julia for treatment, too!"

"I know."

"We don't need to do this anymore!"

"I wish we didn't" Barnabas said.

"You just don't trust me."

"It is hard to. After all, the temptation to get high is always there."

"But I am nowhere near drugs!" David insisted.

"In a clinic, nowhere near drugs? You and I know that a doctor's cabinet is the source of many highs. I want to make sure you don't help yourself to whatever Julia has."

"Do you think I have so little will power?"

"You have will power. And your are getting more every day. But it might not be enough."

David turned his face away as Barnabas pushed the clothing away from the wrist.

"What is it?" Barnabas asked "does it really hurt that much?"

"It is demeaning."

"I don't mean it to be."

* * *

George finally reached Sabrina on the phone. He had been calling her as son as Dr. Davies had left. And each time the phone kept on ringing his imagination had gone on presenting very likely scenarios. Roger was on drugs, and it had happened with Roxanne the same was as in 1970. Roxanne had stayed. She had forced Sabrina to leave, and made her lie about her leaving...

"George!" Sabrina was genuinely cordial "How are you doing back there?"

"Is Roxanne there?"

"No. At her place."

"Is she in Washington?"

"Of course, she is."

"Give me her phone number. No, don't you call her. Don't have her call me back. Give me the local phone number of her place."

Sabrina was surprised, but did so. George saw that it had an area code of 202. At least a Washington address. Now, if Roxanne was there...

He called, prepared to have Sebastian at the end of the line, telling him that Roxanne would call him back.

But it wasn't a man's voice that answered.

"Roxanne Drew" he said "This is Sheriff Brant."

"Yes Sheriff? What do you want?"

"Roger Collins is not getting any better."

"You know that I was defending myself.":

"He has a bad case of anemia."

"That's crazy. I admit that I was brutal enough to provoke an anaphylactic reaction. But not anemia. Not one that would still be there after all this time. Not if he was eating properly."

"And you have been in D.C. all this time?"

"Yes. I have been nowhere near him since them. And I have no desire to."

"Yet, he is still sick."

"Well, forgive me, but I understand that you still got three vampires there. You should ask them. In fact, I remember I saw a bat near one of the lighted windows. Was that the man whose cover you did not want to blow?"

...Derek Pearce...

"Sheriff? Are you there?"

"Huh?" George realized that he wasn't answering his phone.

"Yes. I am here" he told Roxanne, "And you just gave me an idea."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Julia kissed Kenneth.

"I do miss you, darling." she said.

"Specially after arguing with he staff all day." Kenneth said amiably.

"Yes. I can't make them get the littlest thing right. And Barnabas...he's the worst. Do you know how many times he's gone over my head?"

"I know about the straightjacket."

"That was the start. There have been at least five more instances where he volunteered to prescribe treatment."

"What was the latest fight about?

"Will be tomorrow. He's been giving Amy school material. And he's sabotaging my efforts to get her to talk again. Just tells her to take it easy and use the writing board."

"Well, there is a case to be made for not putting more pressure on her."

Julia looked at him distrustfully. Kenneth wondered what she'd do if she found out who had brought Barnabas the material to give Amy. Quickly, he said "At least there doesn't seem to be any bad effects from his treatments."

"It is only a matter of time. He's been lucky, but luck is no substitute for knowledge and experience."

"Well, I hope he does not take to advising my patients, too." Kenneth sighed. "Speaking of my patients, do you know that Willie is jogging?"

"With that arm?"

"Just what I said to him. But you know the type. Once they have the Addidas, they have to use them. I had to tell him that I was going to confine him in bed with a nurse if he did that again. But I don't expect it to have much effect."

* * *

"You want some coffee?" Delia asked the sheriff.

"Please do", George smiled.

Delia extended the cup, still looking at George with distrust. "Why do you want to see Derek?" she asked point blank.

"It is about Roger."

"Roger?"

"Derek's the only witness I have as to what happened between Roger and Roxanne."

"It happened just the same way it happened between Roger and me. Roger thought he could rough her up, and found out that he could not."

"Derek did his Nixon imitation when it was you and Roger, didn't he?"

"You should have seen him." Delia's laughter wasn't a full one. "Look, I am sorry for Roger, but if he treated Roxanne the way he treated me, all I can say is that it serves him right."

"Too bad that he didn't keep on watching U.F.O.s"

"Funny that you should mention it. he actually found something. A weird machine. I don't know how to describe it. He said that it was buried in the woods."

"Did he tell you where?"

"No." Delia shook her head. "Halfway he decided that I didn't believe him, so he left, very angry.,"

Before George could ask the next question, Derek appeared at the door.

"What do you want with me, Sheriff?"

"Would you mind going over that Roxanne episode? When she attacked Roger?"

"I already told you what happened. She was minding her own business and he attacked her."

"You saw the two of them fighting?"

"Yes."

"Did you try to intervene?"

"Yes. But then I saw that Roxanne could take care of herself."

"Didn't you worry about Roger being hurt?"

"No. I thought it would be good if Roger learned not to try to beat up people who are not bothering him."

"But there could be complications."

"Yes...he could catch it from her." Derek shuddered. "And Roger's trouble enough already."

"But you wouldn't mind sending him to a hospital."

"I am in favor of anything that would keep Roger out of circulation for a while. You know that he is dangerous. You know that one of these days he is going to kill someone. We have been lucky up to now because both Delia and Roxanne could defend themselves. But suppose that the next one can't. He should have never gotten out of the clinic. And you know how he got out. Carolyn bribed the staff."

"I see." George gave off a half smile. It was amazing how willing Derek was to hang himself "Well, I found out what I wanted to know. Thank you."

It fitted. Derek thought that Roger was dangerous and that something should be done about him. Put him out of circulation, at least for a while... Sort of making Roger's stay at the hospital a long one.

* * *

Barnabas was trying to make some sense out of Big Bill's ramblings.

"Is he good, or isn't he?"

"Yes. He is."

"So why ask me? You are the expert."

"But you are the one who put the money."

"Not I. I just put you in contact with this group who wants to pay. And you know the conditions. Any materials, but whale bones and teeth. Does this kid want to do that?"

"No. Not at all."

"So what is the problem? Is he unreliable? Does he drink? Is he a pyromaniac?"

"He's a born again Christian. You know, the Kira Petofi crowd."

The ones who had done that to Amy. The ones who had broken Willie's arm.

He shook himself. They had suffered too. And it was their children who had been corrupted.

And he knew, from bitter experience, that if forgiveness was to be earned, he'd not be there now.

"Keep him in. Don't give him any trouble. And don't call me again unless you have a real problem."

Sighing he hung up the phone and braced himself for the scene with Julia that was about to come, pausing on his way to add another string to the ball he carried in his pocket.

"Still at your string collection, eh?" Julia said when she saw him.

"It bothers no one."

"You are right. The trouble with you is of a different kind." she paused for effect. "I caught Amy trying to work math problems."

"You figured it was me who gave them to her."

"Who else has made an indoor sport out of going over my head?"

"I realized that I should have asked you first. But if I had done so, you'd have said no."

"And with good reason. I don't think she should submit herself to that kind of pressure."

"It isn't pressure. It is something to do. Something that gives her a feeling of accomplishment."

"What about your telling her not to worry if she can't talk?"

"I know that she will eventually talk again. But she has to be ready for it. Julia, you don't realize the strain it is for her."

"More strain than math problems?"

"More strain, since she knows that she can do math, while she is not sure at all whether she can talk again. Give her time, and space, Julia. Let her ease up. Then, you can start worrying about her speech."

Julia said nothing.

"Julia, give it a chance. Let her keep at it for a week, at least. See how she reacts before you decide."

"That seems the way you do things. You get a crazy theory and want to test it, so you go ahead, and let me deal with the _fait accompli_."

"That's the only way you pay attention to what I say."

"Yes." Julia admitted "but please, please, try not to go over my head again. In return I promise to listen to your ideas."

* * *

Sandy was tired of waiting. Would Davenport ever see her? She had been waiting for half a day, watching everybody else get ahead of her, enduring the mental undressing that the Indian guards submitted her to.

Her package seemed so small. These were the samples of what she considered to be her best work. Would they be enough to convince Davenport to add her to his outfit? If he didn't she would lose her sewing machine.

She had managed that last payment to Willie. But only after pawning the clock that her mother had left her. Maybe next month she could pawn her wedding band..

The last visitor left Davenport's office. He looked at her for a few seconds.

"I guess it is your turn." he barked at her. "Why did you come?

She unwrapped her package quickly "I made these. I can make many more. We could sell them here, and by mail."

"I am not interested in dealing with you." Xavier said coldly.

"But look at them" Sandy pleaded. "Look at the stitching."

"If it was the best stitching in the world I would still not want it."

"Why?" she asked, knowing the answer.

"Because you tried to kill me not too long ago."

* * *

Amy scribbled on the paper. Algebra was tricky. It took a while to get the right answers.

That's why she felt so good when she finally got them. And good to have the books to help figure out things.

It was good that Julia had allowed her to keep the books. She guessed that Barnabas had done a lot of talking before she agreed to it.

For a second she thought that things would be a lot easier of Barnabas was her brother, instead of Chris.

No. She must not think that.

Still... she wished that Chris could be more of help than he was.

Was it so wrong to love somebody and wish that he didn't visit you so often?

* * *

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Angelique asked George.

"Yes. Make a circle around the house that he cannot cross. Not even by flying or dematerializing."

"But why do you want that?"

"To keep him away from Roger."

Angelique looked doubtful "You have no proof that it is him."

"So, I will chance it. I just want him under house arrest, and see what happens to Roger."

* * *

"So the Davenport Center will be opening soon." Carolyn said, bitingly, to Nicholas. "After all the hard work, they are going to win in the end."

Nicholas wondered what to say next. It wouldn't do to remind her that it was her who had deprived him of his powers when she had insisted that he convert to Quentin's brand of Christianity.

"I wonder why I go on paying your salary" Carolyn continued. "I can find plenty of secretaries who type faster and drink less."

But they would not be able to get her a husband, as he had gotten Quentin for her. And when she still had his powers, he had given a run to Barnabas for his money.

But what was the use? With her wealth, she didn't need such pedestrian qualities such as a good memory or gratitude.

Carolyn saw how Nicholas chafed under the obsequious smile he forced himself to wear. He was such an attractive target that she never missed a chance to take a shot at him.

They could take Roger from her. Quentin's only two good points were that his last name was Collins, and that he was never home. Barnabas would frustrate her efforts again and again.. No matter, she could always lash out at Nicholas.

"I think that there is something we can do." Nicholas ventured to say."

"You have an idea? Out with it before it dies of loneliness."

Nicholas pretended he head heard none of it. "We should notify the power company."

"What for?"

"They are going to compete with it, won't they?"

"So?"

"So who do you think is supplying them with power now? Not only Davenport, but Iris White, Willie Loomis...

Carolyn stared at him dumbfounded. Of course! The power company! Why hadn't she see it before?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

There was no way out.

Derek strained at the invisible barrier. It was no use. he could only go so far, and no further. he tried flying, but no matter how high up in the air, the barrier was still there. Dematerializing didn't help either.

Maybe he should try asking Delia again to drive him through. But he doubted it would do any good;.

Exhausted, he went back to the house to find then phone ringing.

He picked up the receiver wearily.

"You still can't get out?" George Brant said at the other end of the line.

"No...say, how did you know?"

"You can consider yourself under house arrest."

"House arrest? What for?"

"Until Roger gets better. I understand why you did it. But it is still wrong."

"I didn't do anything to Roger!"

"I think you did."

"What happened to the old Presumed Innocent Until Proven Guilty? Don't I have any Civil Rights?"

"Just be patient. It will be only for a few days."

George Brant hung up, leaving Derek staring angrily at the receiver.

"You can't do this to me! You can't!" he shouted again. But his only answer was the dial tone.

* * *

Frank heard Angelique leave for work.

Well, at least he should be able to get high without her interfering.

He rolled a joint and laid back getting his thoughts flow with the slow smoke.

But they all seemed to converge on Davenport.

Davenport and Simmons.

...That funeral. He had attended it. Why? To show regret? Or was it just another macho trip?

He had done it for a measly promotion. For a few extra dollars a month...

"Just doing my job" Sure "...Just following orders..."

For a few dollars extra a month.

The truly depressing thing about people who sell their souls is how cheaply they sell it.

* * *

Sandy extended the clothes she had made.

They were good clothes. Fashions that would not go out of style. Good workmanship. They should sell.

But how? She still had one more month with the sewing machine. Afterwards, it would be repossessed. And if she couldn't place the clothes in the meantime, that was it.

And Davenport wasn't interested. For the same reason that Willie would not extend credit.

Yet she needed to do something.

Resolutely, she wrapped the clothes and went out. If that was what it took to get things done, she would do it.

* * *

"They can't cut off our power!" Xavier said angrily.,

"Apparently they want to." Harry Redwolf shrugged "I bet the Collins bitch is behind it."

"We are going to take them to court!" Xavier growled. "There are precedents for it! We are going to win this case!"

Harry sighed. "I wonder how much it will cost us, even if we win."

"You don't seem too concerned."

"I am concerned. But what's the use? I don't have the white man's faith in the courts. I know how long it takes while you wait for justice to come your way."

"Well, mark my words. This time it is going to come very quickly"

* * *

"Come on, Eileen." Barnabas prodded the girl gently "you can do it."

Elsa tried to look away from the knitting needles and yarn that Barnabas was offering her.

"You know how to do it." Barnabas insisted. He caught her chin and made her look up. "You are good at it. Just try it. For me?"

There was a knock at the door.

'Mr. Collins, a lady wants to see you."

"I am coming" he turned to Eileen "I will be back."

He went down the corridor, wondering who it was.

Sandy paced the floor, trying to give herself courage for what she knew must be done. She noticed that the package that she was carrying was getting its wrapping dirty and torn.

"Mrs. Miller" Barnabas said with surprise. "Do you want to see me?"

Sandy nodded.

"What for?" She was a bundle of nerves, that one. Well, at least now he had some experience in dealing with emotionally disturbed people.

Sandy stared at him, trying to speak, but somehow not finding the words.

"What is it?" he insisted gently.

She kept staring, with big open eyes...a look like that of a drowning victim...

"Take your time" he patted her hand reassuringly.

Nervously she managed to unwrap the package.

"You did these?"

Sandy nodded.

"But why show them to me?

Quickly, before she could change her mind, she opened her collar.

"What are you doing?"

Sandy turned her face away, closing her eyes, and gritting her teeth.

"I am not starving" Barnabas could not keep all the irony from his voice "But thanks for offering, anyway."

"But...but I need you to...?

"What do you need? "

"I need the money. If I don't get it before the next month Mr. Loomis will repossess my sewing machine. And Davenport will not even consider helping me...Iris White calls me a thief... and those Indians keep saying things to me..."

"Calm yourself. I can't understand what you are saying."

Sandy began to cry.

"It is because...because I am not a friend of yours. Because I can't prove it."

"And neck wounds would be a good character reference for Davenport?"

"Yes."

Barnabas shook his head. It made no sense.

"Did it have to do with the riot?" he asked, remembering Big Bill's phone call.

"That woman, Kira Petofi. We believed her...she made us..."

He thought about it for a moment. Then he took, out his wallet.

"How much do you need to keep the sewing machine another month?"

She stared at him. "Are you going to give it to me?"

"Yes. But firsts I want information. I want to know what is going on in town."

* * *

"For how long do I have to stay in here?" Roger asked Carolyn.

"The doctor says that not for long."

"I shouldn't be here at all. They are keeping me here because they want me out of the way."

"No. They are not." Carolyn fought back her tears. To see Uncle Roger reduced to this...

"They are. This is more than a vampire attack, you know. And where's the girl? They set me up, all of them. And unless you get me out of here, I'll never get better."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9\

George had never seen anyone as angry as Delia.

"What's the idea, doing this to Derek?"

"I am keeping both him and Roger safe."

"You have no proof that it is Derek."

"I got enough to convince me. He's got the motive, the means, and the opportunity."

"Is that why you hired him? So that you could frame him?"

"I hired him to keep him from running crooked crap games." George shrugged "You and I know that he doesn't amount to much and never will. Why not write him off as a bad investment and get yourself another boyfriend?"

"Drop him like that?"

"After all, it is not as if you loved him."

"I, not love him?" She was even angrier now. "You think that I can't love anyone, that's it? Just because my sex tastes are not the same as yours does not make me incapable of love. Sur I may be a pervert, but that doesn't mean..."

"I did not say you could not love anyone. Just Derek."

Delia looked at him hard.

"Just what do you see in him, anyway?"

* * *

Louella dusted the appliances in the shop and examined tithe results with a satisfied smile.

Nobody would believe now that there had been a stampede there.

"You did a good job, honey" Willie said, while moving his arm "I wish I could be of more help."

"You just get better" she looked at him severely "and better pay attention to what the doctor says about not jogging."

"I wasn't going to." Willie lied.

"In that T-shirt?"

"I said I wasn't going to!"

Louella sighed. She hated having to call the doctor to have Willie confined to bed. But if he kept at it, she would do it.

She then became aware of Barnabas standing in the middle of the shop.

"I thought you were at Wyncliffe." she said, somewhat stupidly.

"I am staff, not a patient, so I can come and go." He looked at Willie. "I didn't see that T-shirt of yours before."

"I got it in Harrisburg." Willie said "Louella got one, too."

"The radioactive twins, that's us." Louella said.

"But you did not come here to talk T-shirts" Willie said. "Why did you come?"

Barnabas sighed and paused for effect..

"I talked with Sandy Miller. I gave her enough so she can pay for another month on her sewing machine, and in exchange, she told me a few things."

"What few things?"

"Like the fact that you cut the credit to many of them."

"Well, I got too many expenses myself. I can't afford to do that anymore."

"Willie gave them plenty of credit." Louella gestured at the walls. "Look how they paid him back."

"Do you know how much it costs us to get this place together again?" Willie asked.

"It cost them more. It nearly cost them their children."

"I am not feeling sorry for them. They asked for it."

Barnabas' face softened "Did they hurt you when they broke your arm?"

"What do you think?"

"Worse than when I beat your up?"

"Why bring it up? That was different."

"Was it, really? I certainly did not deserve compassion. But I needed it. Were you ever sorry that I was given a chance?"

"No. Bit it isn't the same thing with them."

"No? Give them another chance. For my sake, if not for theirs.

* * *

"Well, long time no hear from you." Megan said over the phone. "what's the matter? Delia doesn't treat you right?"

"You know what's the matter with me!" Derek shouted "I can't leave this fucking place!"

"So you are in trouble. Again. What's so new about that?"

"I didn't touch Roger Collins!:

"Compared to the usual kind of trouble you get in, this is a lark. Just take it easy. It is only for a few days."

"Can't you get it in your head that I am innocent?"

"You are always innocent."

"This time, it is true!"

"It is always true"

"For God's sake, why can't you listen to me?"

"There is still the matter of that money you ran away with. I still haven't got it back."

"I'll make you an IOU..."

"And we both know what those are worth."

Derek counted to ten, then, feeling calmer, talked again into the receiver. "All right, I admit it. I have a lot of flaws. But you were the one who came after me. I didn't infect you. You infected me."

"This is the first time I heard you complain about it. As I recall, you were overjoyed at the chance to make money out of draft dodgers."

"Well, now there is no more draft, and no more draft dodgers. And if it hadn't been for you, I'd have a career in show business."

"Yes, you'd have been the Unknown Comic".

"Megan..."

"You never had any talent, and you know it." she sighed "I'd never touched you if you hadn't looked so much like Phillip."

"Was that my fault?"

"No. I guess it wasn't." Megan acknowledged.

"All right, Megan. Here I am, under house arrest, just because the sheriff suspects, suspects only, that I have been hurting Roger."

"And you haven't"

"No. Never went close to him."

"Well, you just have to be patient. If Roger doesn't get any better, then George will figure out you are innocent, after all."

"What about my Civil Rights?"

"Civil Rights?"

"Roger was the one who attacked Roxanne. But it was Roxanne who had to leave town in a hurry. Don't you see?"

"See what?"

"That we have no Civil Rights whatsoever. Habeas corpus, trial by jury, being represented by an attorney, those things don't apply to us. A vampire is presumed guilty unless he or she can find enough proof of innocence. Like you had to do with Kira Petofi.

"And what do you propose to do about it? Start a Vampire Liberation Movement and march on Washington?"

"I might."

"And then start fund raising for it, and before you know it, you'll have run away to Brazil with the cash.

"I wouldn't!"

"You would. Just take it easy, will you? House arrest isn't the end of the world."

* * *

Frank Torrance was his next stop. After all, Frank owed him an explanation for not telling him what was going on with Xavier Davenport.

Frank didn't answer the door. Since there was light inside, he figured he was in, so he materialized inside.

Frank was there, all right. But not all of him was there. He was sitting on the floor, an idiotic smile on his face, holding a cigarette.

Not a tobacco one.

"Frank! Listen to me!" Barnabas shook hi a bit more roughly than it was needed.

"Hey...man.. what do you want?"

This was too much. Not only was Frank high, but was also playacting at being high.

His sense of humor being at a dangerous low, Barnabas lifted Frank and put his head under the cold water tap.

"Hey! Let me go! Are you crazy!"

When he decided that Frank had sobered up enough, he let him go.

"We got to stop meeting like this." Frank growled.

"I have a hunch that this time Megan had nothing to do with it."

"No." Frank admitted " she didn't"

"Can you tell me why is Davenport conducting blatant religious discrimination, and we have not heard a peep from you about it?"

"You asked me to go easy on him."

"Not good enough. Why?"

"Davenport said that if I got anywhere near him, he'd shoot me on sight."

"What?"

"And he's got every right to it."

"Do I have to put you under the water again until you make sense?"

"I am making sense. Do you know how I got my first promotion?"

Quickly, bitterly, he told of Charles Simmons and his friendship with Davenport.

"I see."

"I was lucky that Davenport didn't just shoot me as I came into his office. Luckier than I deserve."

"Isn't that why you stayed at home, getting high?"

"Got any better ideas?"

"Yes. Like doing some useful work for a change."

"Push another dumb bastard to suicide, and get another promotion?"

"I see." he paused "for how long have you been wallowing in guilt?""

"It isn't wallowing. This is what I am."

Frank's words echoed in Barnabas' mind. He probably had said those words, or equivalent each time he wanted out of some effort he didn't want to make.

"Well, you better come off it, because you got responsibilities, even if you don't remember them! Starting with the Davenport mess."

"Don't waste time. He'll never let me around."

"I will make him. As for you..." with as much gentleness as he could manage, he picked up Frank by the lapels and crushed him against the wall. "I don't make many threats these days. But if you don't come off it real fast, I'll give you something to moan about."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Harry, I want your men out of town." Barnabas said to Redwolf.

"Not a chance. I am protecting my investment."

"What you are doing is letting your men have fun pretending to be an occupying army. All right. Fun's fun. But now we have serious business to attend to."

"This is business, too. As long as my men can lord it over with their guns, Munsungan will not make trouble for me."

"There are other ways of dealing with Munsungan."

"I like this way best."

Davenport's entrance interrupted Barnabas before he could answer.

"We will get the power back, temporarily, at least until the judge rules on it." He stopped when he saw Barnabas "You back from the funny farm?"

"I am back from Wycliffe, yes. Whether or not I am out of the funny farm remains to be seen."

"What you mean by that?"

"First answer me. What is this problem you have with the courts?"

"The power company cut us off. We are taking them to court for it."

"See what I mean by funny farm? What chance will you have when things start coming out?"

"What things? Me hiring a member of the undead?"

"No. Things like Indian guards harassing local women. A blatant pattern of religious discrimination, as if we did not have a Civil Rights Act in this country. And your threatening violence to a Federal employee."

"You speak of that bastard, Torrance."

"I know what he did. It isn't pretty. But that doesn't change the fact that you need him."

"What are you, his lawyer?"

"I am the one who brought you here. But I did not bring you in to polarize the town."

"You made a wonderful job of keeping people happy here, yourself."

"Yes. I did. It only took a professional mind bender to make them turn against me."

Xavier shrugged.

"I am also the one who has Representative Evans' ear, and who can tell her whether to back you up, or drop you like a hot potato."

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me. I will tell her to back you if you convince me that you are not letting yourself be put out of business for the sake of revenge."

* * *

It was bad for Derek, Delia knew. The sheriff had spoken of a temporary inconvenience, but deep down she knew better. it could get ugly, real ugly for him.

Or were those fancies caused by the riot?

No...it was more than that. The feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that.

Roger wasn't getting better. That should be a good sing, but she feared it might not be.

They had removed her as Roger's nurse. Not that they suspected her, no. It just was, let's say, appropriate. And that hurt. No matter what else, she was a good nurse. She would never betray a patient.

She went to the coffee pot and poured herself some. She still had a few minutes until she went on duty.

There was a Tarot deck in her locker. That old deck that Lydia had given her.

Nervously she laid the cards, so see what they could tell her.

The Knight of Cups in the center, representing Derek. Then the cards came. The Queen of Wands (Delia herself?) The King of coins (Roger!) It could be that...

The six of swords. This, she knew, meant struggle. Then the High Priestess (Angelique?).

The High Priestess could also mean revelation of secret knowledge.

Then the Knight of Swords. Well, that one was certainly the Sheriff.

Justice (Would Derek get justice or would he get railroaded?)

The Queen of Coins. Carolyn, of course.

Four and five of coins. Yes, there was money involved. Well, Carolyn, with her wealth, could make a lot of trouble.

Then the Tower of Destruction.

* * *

"Well, the Prodigal Son comes home " George said to Barnabas, facetiously.

"I found out that I had business here."

"What kind of business?"

Barnabas looked down, a bit ashamed. "I don't think that you'll appreciate my telling you how to run your department."

"You are right. I'd hate it. But I guess you'll do it, anyway."

"Yes."

George crossed his arms and stood defiantly in front of Barnabas. "All right, tell me what I am doing wrong."

"You are taking revenge on your men for the way they behaved at the riot."

"I am disciplining them. And they got off easy. I did not fire them."

"I understand that many of them cannot meet their bills."

"They'll have to tighten their belts, that's all."

"You are kicking them when they are down."

"They have only themselves to blame"

"Only themselves?" Barnabas mocked him "You know better than that. How many times you did me favors?"

"I only broke the letter of the law, not its spirit."

"Still, it was a bad example."

"So I am the one who corrupted them."

"You. Me, everyone of us. Look what happened that time I shoved Frank Torrance down Carolyn's throat. I got them all steamed up about safety at the plant. The practical result was that many of them got fired. At abut the time I started working for Uncle Sam, and making good money."

"It wasn't like that."

"That was what it looked like."

"Are you taking the blame again?"

"Without meaning to, we did it. We have to accept our share of the blame."

"You are exaggerating."

Barnabas was silent for a while. He had finally figure it out since Sandy had come to him. But it still hurt.

"You know how I like doing people favors. Specially if I have been at their throats. It makes me feel that I am paying my way, if I try to do something about their problems. So it came that if you were nice to me, nice things would happen to you. You could hit me for a loan. Or get a job referral through me. Or just get an idea of where to go for help... So it came at the end that Sandy Miller could not find a better way to get justice for herself than to throw herself at me."

"And did she get it?"

"She got it, and I did not charge her for it. You shouldn't have to pay to get justice."

"I wouldn't say that. Upholding justice is a full time job, and we have to eat."

Barnabas nodded, smiling.

"Well, now that you got that off your chest, what do you suggest I do with my men?"

"You can't upgrade them so soon. But you can arrange for them to get easy loans to tide them over, until they can straighten up their finances. Promise them that you will be reviewing their records, and that after a certain interval you'll be promoting them again."

"Quite a program"

"You can present it as your own. I will not claim credit."

* * *

The wind cut through Chris as he raced on the hills.

It had been so long since he had done that, run on all fours, feeling the hardness of the soil in his paws, pushing against the earth to make himself go faster...

He had forgotten how good it felt...

Animal scents reached him. His nostrils quivered as his brain analyzed the smell and identified it. Chickens and ducks.

Alive and warm. He licked his chops in anticipation.

Better check that he wasn't going to raid his own coop by mistake.

But it wasn't his. They belonged to Simon Hays. One of those who followed Quentin and Sister Kira. Probably one of those animals who had raped Amy...

He fell on the chickens. There was a lot of noise and a swirl of feathers. And warmth in his mouth as he crushed the bodies between his teeth.

* * *

Old Munsungan listened silently. Barnabas wondered what he thought. There was no way to tell.

"And that's the whole story." he finished.

Old Munsungan's expression still did not change "What about the children?" he finally asked.

"They are being treated. With luck, they will recover. They...they were made into killers" Revulsion at what Kira Petofi had done gripped him.

"Do children matter to you?" Old Munsungan asked slowly.

"I never hurt a child. Not even in my worst moments. I can't understand why anybody would."

Of all the people who he had to deal with, Old Munsungan was the only one who could put him in the defensive. With others he could bluster and be as overbearing as he deemed necessary. But with Old Munsungan, he could only plead. And hope that he could take a refusal graciously.

"These people tried to hurt you."

"They have suffered enough."

"And you want my help to remove the Indian guards from town?"

There was a faint smile in Old Munsungan's face. "I will consider it."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The Tower of Destruction again.

Delia tried to control herself. But could she? Each time she cast the cards, she would get it.

She knew what that meant. it was the same card that Natalie du Pres had drawn as Angelique's curse reached Barnabas...

And what it did foretell for Derek?

* * *

Iris was unwilling to let him go.

"I will come back tomorrow" he promised.

"But then you'll have to go back to Wyncliffe."

"I have to. But I will talk to Julia about arranging my schedule so I can come back here regularly. Sort of one week on, one week off. And then" he smiled indulgently "you can come visit me there."

"I guess I will." She was silent for a few seconds, then added "All right, are you going to make your sales pitch?"

"Sales pitch?"

"Like be nice to the townspeople, even if they tried to lynch me. After all, that's the reason you came back to town"

"Well, would you?" I mean, stop trying to get back that fabric of yours that is missing? That would give George some peace and quiet.

She looked angrily at him. "Is that why you went to bed with me? To mollify me?"

"You know I wouldn't do that."

"No. I don't know that. I know that you have been talking to everyone else, and that I am last on your list."

Barnabas thought for a few moments. "You are still angry with them, aren't you?"

"What do you think?"

That was one of Iris' failings. She got angry easily and stayed angry for quite a while.

"I am not going to ask you to be nice to them. For one thing, there is no point on you pretending to be friendly when you don't feel it. For another, I can understand being angry with them. So do I; I see Amy every day."

"But if you are angry, why do this?"

"Because they still got Civil Rights."

* * *

"How come my uncle does not get any better?" Carolyn tapped her foot on the floor, as if she didn't truly expect to be told the truth.

"I don't know." The doctor admitted "It is a baffling case."

"There is nothing baffling about it. You are just following instructions."

"Instructions?"

"From the sheriff. Or are you going to deny that he ordered to keep him here for as long as possible?"

* * *

It was a packed hall. And like it or not, he had to get up there and make a speech.

He was already getting butterflies in his stomach. And it would probably get worse.

As he went in, Harry Redwolf caught him.

"Cute, Barnabas, cute." he said bitterly. "Talking to Old Munsungan behind my back."

"I said that I wanted your men out of town."

"So you went over my head?"

"It seemed the only way to get things done. Will you pull them out now?"

"You know I have no choice."

"Then be gracious about it and cut your losses that way."

He went in. He noticed that both Frances Jackson and Alma Quarles were sitting in the front row.

Quentin's people were in the back seats, still trying to put as much distance between himself and them as possible.

"First thing that you must know is that I talked to Davenport and he promised me that he will no longer discriminate in any way against any of you in his business. Any complaints you might have in that respect, see Frank Torrance. He is OSHA, but he knows how to handle those sorts of complaints."

There was a barely audible gasp from the back rows. They had expected to be further castigated for the Kira Petofi fiasco. Instead, they were given what they wanted most.

"I understand that many of you owe money to Mr. Loomis. He agreed to give extensions, and to hand out credit again. Also the Indian guards will soon be returning to the reservation."

There was a murmur running through the crows. He just waited for it to subside before speaking again.

"Do you have any questions?"

A woman got up rather shyly "It is about Mrs. White...she's been calling me a thief. and.."

"I understand that Mrs. White will no longer try to recover her missing property, so you don't have to worry about further harassment from the police."

"But will she stop calling me a thief?" I am no thief!"

"I cannot guarantee what Mrs. White will say. Unless you can make a case for libel, the First Amendment protects her. And while I am not a lawyer, I can tell you that since you participated in the riot, you won't be able to get redress from the courts."

"But I didn't steal anything!"

"There is nothing I can do about it."

Another woman got up.

"I used to be good friends with Louella Loomis. Now she refuses to talk to me."

"And what do you expect me to do?"

"Tell her that I am sorry."

"Why not tell her yourself?"

"She refuses to listen."

"Then keep trying. If you care so much for her friendship, you will keep at it. And if you want some advice, don't just go around saying that you are sorry. Show it.

"Show it?"

"She's having to take care of all the shop by herself now that her husband has a broken arm. Don't you think she'd like to have her dinner ready at night? Or not having to worry about doing laundry?"

"She wouldn't accept."

"Did you offer?"

The woman did not answer, and Barnabas could not keep from adding. "Yes, that's the problem. You are all sorry for the riot. But not one of you has bothered to ask how Amy Jennings is doing Don't you think that she might like to have visitors? As long as you ware not the ones who raped her, then why not go and see her?"

This time the murmur was angry...here was coming the lecture...

"Let's get one thing clear. When it comes to protecting your civil rights, I am on your side. But don't expect me to act as go-between to mend personal relationships that you botched by participating in the riot. If we knew how fragile relationships are, how hard to mend, then we'd take better care of them. It is a hard lesson that you have to learn. I know that if you were forgiven, no questions asked, then everything would be easier, and we'd all be better persons for it..."

"When were you a person?" Somebody grumbled at the back.

Barnabas ignored it and continued. "No one has an automatic right to be forgiven. And saying that you are sorry is not enough. Many times you have to literally buy back your mistakes" he realized that his fingers were resting on the now sizeable ball of string the always carried these days. "Sometimes the price is steep. And you must know that you do not deserve to be forgiven, and that you can only accept it with gratitude and humility. And that no matter how much you want it, how hard you try, there are things that you cannot change and you must learn to live with them."

His voice dropped. Who was he to judge anyone?

Yet he had to. Somebody had to do the job, and however inadequate he might be, he was stuck with it.

He looked at the audience again. "Any more questions?"

Simon Hays got up. He was still angry for the loss of his chickens. He suspected that Chris Jennings had done it, and why. And since Chris Jennings wasn't there, he chose to take it out on Barnabas.

"Why can't you look at the cross?"

Barnabas was surprised to see how little hurt there was for him in that question. Years ago it had torn him, but now...

"Was Kira Petofi able to?" he asked.

"Yes" Simon Hays admitted.

"And you know what Kira Petofi did to your children. Well, all I can say on the subject is that you better find out a better test to tell your friends from your enemies."

* * *

Eileen looked at the knitting needles with anger...it was difficult, too difficult for her.

And he wasn't with her. She had waited for him to show up, to come, and see what he had done, how she had managed with the knitting.

But he wasn't there. Would never come.

She gripped the needles angrily and drove them into her tight.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"She didn't hurt herself too badly?" Barnabas looked sick as Julia gave him the details of Eileen wounding herself with the knitting needles he had given her.

"What do you think? Well, at least the wound wasn't fatal and we can fix it."

"But it might have been.."

"Yes." Julia was implacable "It might have been. Why did you give her the needles?"

"I thought it would give her something to do."

"Same reasoning as with Amy. Well, this time it didn't work. And for your information, knitting needles can be a deadly weapon."

"I should have asked you first."

"Yes, you should have." Julia moved away from her desk and faced Barnabas, her arms crossed "It wasn't as if you weren't warned. What did I tell you every time we had an argument? Check with me first."

Barnabas tried to answer, but she cut him short with a gesture. "Don't interrupt me. I agree that you have good ideas, and that some of the things you did needed doing. But you don't have the knowledge and experience to go around making decisions on your own. You were lucky up to now. Your luck just ran out." She shook her head angrily "Giving knitting needles to a potentially suicidal patient!"

"All right. I'll pack my things and go."

"Go?"

"I can tell when I am fired."

"You area fired when _I_ say you are fired. Sit down.

Barnabas obeyed.

"As I said, many of the things you did, were right, and needed doing. Your only problem was going over my head each and every time. All right. I am stubborn and somewhat close-minded. But that didn't make going over my head a good thing. You are not qualified to make diagnosis, and you are not qualified to prescribe treatments. Better accept that. I brought you here to cure me of my bad habits, not to acquire them yourself. So, you better learn how to do things around here."

Barnabas nodded.

"You better make sure that nothing like this happens again, because if it does, not only will I fire you, but I will also scalp you. Understood?"

* * *

Nicholas looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't look seedy now. He'd better not. Even if he was being sent by Carolyn Collins, the executives of the power plant may yet refuse to see him.

Well, if the did, that was their loss. Those photos that he and Carolyn had taken of Barnabas and Iris last winter would be more useful to them than a barrage of lawyers in dealing with Davenport.

He wished that he could make the mini-stage work again. It had proved useful to him. And he had done it while not yet recovered from his drunken bouts and with Carolyn grumbling all the time about how little return she got for her money.

If only he could. get the power back. God what he wouldn't do...

What he wouldn't do to the bitch. How he would love to make her pay for the humiliations she had inflicted on him...

"Mr. Wilson will see you now." the receptionist told him.

* * *

Amy was reading a magazine when Delia stopped by her door.

"Do you have some time?" she asked without approaching her. "I need you to read the cards for me. Please."

Amy was her last hope. She needed to know why she kept getting the Tower of Destruction time after time, what it meant, what she and Derek could expect...

Amy smiled at her and indicated that she move closer.

Delia sat down and gave the deck for Amy to shuffle.

Distractedly she looked at the magazine. A several weeks old one, with a picture of Three Mile Island on the cover.

Amy laid down the Knight of Cups and then the first card.

The Tower of Destruction.

"No!" Delia rose from her seat "Not again!"

Amy looked at her, and back to the card. She could be laying more cards for the complete spread, but didn't.

There was something about this card. Something tat she has seen before.

But what could it be? The two men walking on their hands? The falling coins? The bubbles?

Bubbles? Tower? Destruction?

She glanced away, for inspiration, and her eyes fell on the magazine.

She stared at it, and back at the card...Not this...

Yet it fit. The cooling towers of Three Mile Island. The destruction stored in them. The radioactive gas escaping...

Three Mile Island...

But what did it have to do with Derek? She looked at Delia, sobbing by the window. There had to be a connection and between the two they might find it.

She tapped her knuckles on the night table until Delia turned her face around, then she gestured to her to come closer.

Delia did so.. "What is it?"

Amy put the card right below the picture of the towers.

"You are saying that the card points to this?"

Amy nodded vigorously.

"But how...that was a while ago... wait...it had to do with Roger, right? Radioactivity..."

There was a slight throat clearing behind them.

"It is late now," Barnabas said. "Amy should be resting."

"Wait! come see this! This is what happened to Roger!"

Barnabas came closer, curious.

"I asked her to read the cards for Derek. This card kept showing up again and again. And Amy says that it points to this. Do you know what this means?"

Barnabas shook his head.

"Roger is suffering from radiation poisoning."

* * *

Mr. Wilson studied the photos that Nicholas Blair had given him.

They were the real thing. Not a movie, not a TV show. He felt cold fear creep through him. This was not the Hollywood version. This...this was real. This fellow did exist.

And he was Davenport's weak link.

He felt his assurance come back to him. Whatever else he might be, Mr. Collins was a fool if he thought he could take on the power company and win.

* * *

Dr. Davies sighed. It was not enough that Carolyn Collins was on his back. Barnabas had to get into the act, too.

"Look. I already told you all about your cousin's condition."

"Just one question. Is Roger's hair falling out?"

"Well," he thought about it "as a matter of fact it is."

"Lost any fingernails or toenails?"

"Not yet". Later he would wonder why he had been so ready to add that 'yet'.

"Did you test him for radiation poisoning."

"There was no need?"

"Will you please do?"

"But.."

"Don't argue, do it."

"You are not who to tell me that!"

"Doctor, do I have to get a court injunction? I will have him tested for it, with or without your help. And if it is without, and we find it, I will sue you for malpractice."

"All right!" Davies growled "I'll do it. But you are just wasting your time and mine."

Barnabas hung up and turned to Delia "He'll do it."

"Thanks for calling" Delia said. "If I had said it, he'd just tell me to shut up, that I was only a nurse and he was the doctor. But you, he has to listen to."

"Yes. I can threaten him with lawyers." he grinned widely. "You know, it is fun threatening people with lawyers..."

"In the meantime I am going to call George, and tell him that I'll sue him if he does not release Derek immediately."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Radiation poisoning?" George was aghast.

"Yes." Delia relished her words. "As you see, Derek was innocent."

George nodded, impatiently. Radiation poisoning...He would now have to track down the source of contamination.

"Well, aren't you going to do something about it? Like releasing Derek?

"You are sure it is radiation poisoning?"

"You want the test results? Just release Derek will you?"

She was not going to listen until he did, so he called Angelique and left a message on her answering machine. Then she turned to Delia

"If this is radiation poisoning we got a big problem on our hands. How did Roger become exposed to it? Where is the source? How many cases we will find in the months to come? Lord, it could be anywhere.. Do you remember that time when they found out classrooms built with radioactive sand? What is it going to be this time?"

Delia paled as she understood the magnitude of the situation. "I almost wish now that it had been Derek."

"Yes. He's a lot easier to control than radioactivity. If only we had a clue of where to look. Did Roger say anything?"

"Not to me. You know that they took me off his case as soon as you put Derek under house arrest. And since he's got this conspiracy idea running through his mind, he's likely to say even less. He's a prisoner, and will only give out his name, rank, and serial number."

"Maybe Carolyn would know."

"Wait! I remember something. The last time we met, he showed me something that he said came from an U.F.O..."

"And you think it might be it?"

"It looked weird enough. I wanted to ask him, but he decided I did not believe him and stomped out".

"Do you think he still might have it?"

"I am willing to be that it is under his bed at Collinwood."

* * *

Frances stood in front of Willie "I am coming with you.:" she said simply.

"Coming where?"

"Jogging. I am supposed to make sure you don't strain yourself."

"I don't need you to come along."

"It is either me or being confined to be." She crossed her arms. "Which is it going to be?"

Willie turned to look at Louella, who nodded, a bit shamefaced.

"You asked her to?"

"Come on, Willie" Frances said placatingly "I also like to jog. It is just that I want to make sure you don't overdo it."

Willie muttered several things under his breath about meddlesome females, then shrugged and accepted the situation.

* * *

"You mean this thing is radioactive?" Carolyn could not disguise her fear. "And it's been in Collinwood all along?"

"Yes. You can see how the Geiger jumps."

"And we have been all exposed to it...And that's what made Uncle Roger sick..."

"Yes." George agreed " I suggest that you and everybody here get themselves checked by a doctor as soon as possible."

* * *

Barnabas stared at the box of cigars that had been delivered to him Who could have sent him that kind of a gift? Carolyn?

He was pondering the mystery when he was told that Dr. Davies wanted him on the phone.

"Was it radioactivity, doctor?"

"Yes. I wish it wasn't. Do you know what radiation poisoning means? It means a Public Health Alert. Before we know it, more cases are going to pop up."

"Do you have any idea as to the source?"

"The sheriff says that he has isolated it. But I wonder if it is the only one. If there is more of it running around.."

"It is scary, all right."

"Like it or not, this is the Twentieth Century after Hiroshima. We have to expect things like that. If you see the girl who attacked him, send her my thanks. If she hadn't sent him to the hospital, he would have gone on poisoning himself until it was too late."

"Quite a switch...I wonder what she'll say when she finds out what she bit into."

Dr. Davies chuckled at that. "By the way, do you smoke?"

"No! Of course I don't. And you shouldn't, either. So you realize what that does to your lungs?"

"Uh, oh.."

What is it?" he looked at the package he had received. "You sent me some cigars?"

"I wanted to thank you for tipping me about Roger."

"And you call yourself a doctor!"

" I thought about sending you candy but you have no use for it. And flowers seemed inappropriate."

"What about books? Or has reading gone out of fashion these days?"

"No...that's a good idea... Do you like Kurt Vonnegut?"

"I do like him."

"Good. I'll send you a set."

* * *

"Well, here it is" George showed it to Megan and her staff. "the radioactive baby."

"Impressive" Tammy moved closer to study it.

"Not so close" Megan warned her. "You know what it did to Roger."

"Did it really come from an U.F.O.?"

"Unless U.F.O.s use cheap soldering, I'd say not."

"But what is it? It looks like some kind of a machine. But what is it supposed to do?"

Joe studied the contraption, aware of a feeling of familiarity.

"Well, what it's supposed to do isn't as important as where it came from. My men are working on it. I called you in, because we need all the help we can get."

Joe extended a hand towards it.

"Don't touch it!" George barked.

"I am trying to remember when did I see something like this before."

* * *

Barnabas finished burying the offending cigars in the compost pile.. Much better than burning them and releasing the obnoxious smoke. They were biodegradable, and would make nice soil in time.

"If he wanted me to smoke something, he could have sent me joints" he said to himself, amused.

It hadn't been so bad, that joint he had shared with Frank. Sure, he had made a fool of himself. But it had hurt no one, and it had felt great.'

He wondered how Frank was doing and how he was getting along with Davenport. Last thing he heard, they seemed to have reached a working arrangement. With luck it would hold so that they could both do their respective jobs.''

Sandy had finally reached an agreement with Davenport and Willie, as had others...And Louella had finally found a solution to Willie's newly discovered passion for jogging.

They were doing fine, and they did not need him. Not yet.

When he came back inside, Mr. Wilson was waiting for him.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Wilson was so nervous that Barnabas mistook him for a patient.

"What's your problem?" he asked, gently.

Then a mental check of all the inmates made him understand that the man sitting there was not an inmate.

"I...I am sorry. I took you for.."

"One of the residents of this institution?" Wilson said with heavy irony. "No. I am not. But it is you who I wanted to see. Here is my card, Mr. Barnabas Collins."

Barnabas studied it. "Why do you want to see me? he asked, in astonishment at the impressive titles below Wilson's name.

"I represent the power company"

"Does it have to do with your current problems with Mr. Davenport?"

Wilson cleared his throat. ":We consider it unfair competition of him to use our services while building his own power plant."

"I don't see how, in the middle of an energy crunch you can afford to squelch Mr. Davenport. You might need to buy power from him one day."

"We do not find that an attractive prospect, Mr. Collins" Wilson's reassurance was coming back to him.

"Anyway, it is up to the courts to decide."

"Not the court. You."

'Me?"

"I know of your relationship with Davenport. And I also know other things about you." he opened his briefcase "Mrs. Collins said that you have already seen these. Would you care to comment on them?" He brought a sheaf of photos forward.

One glance told Barnabas what they were about. The photos that Carolyn had taken of himself and Iris.

"Look at them well, Mr. Collins, and ask yourself if you can afford this litigation. What do you think would happen if these became public?" he smiled professionally "that poor woman...I wonder what happened to her."

"She is fine. But her shop was looted in the riot instigated by the same person who gave you these photos."

"That may well be. But I doubt that you would convince a lynching mob of that. They are going to be too busy hollering for your head to pay any attention to what you have to say."

* * *

"So it was radioactive poisoning." Chris said.

"Yes. And to think that nobody suspected a thing."

"Well, with Megan and Barnabas around, in any case of anemia, people jump at the obvious conclusion, even if it is wrong."

"I imagine that when people's hair start falling off they would notice." Tammy said.

"Not to mention glowing in the dark." Angelique mentioned.

"Glowing in the dark!" Tammy snorted "Nobody glows in the dark! By the time you start glowing you've been dead a long time."

"Why does the hair fall off?" Chris asked.

"Radioactivity makes cells stop reproducing. Skin, hair, nails, the lining of the digestive tract, and red blood cells have to reproduce themselves constantly to be replaced. And when they can't then you have all those symptoms." Tammy explained.

"Well, let's hope that Joe's hunch about the artist's colony pays off, and he can track it down."

* * *

"They have me." Barnabas said to Megan. "Wilson will use those photos unless I stop Davenport. and I cannot do to him what I did with Carolyn."

"And you are hiring me for it?"

"If you don't get out of this I have to do what he asks. Or disappear. Leave Maine. Leave the U.S."

"Leave the US. with what passport?" Megan laughed " Never mind. How does it feel for a strict moralist like you to admit that you need me and my shaky ethics."

"I never..."

"Never mind. It is just sometimes I get tired of what is being said about me behind my back... And you area so...so stuffy, sometimes."

"Not so stuffy.'

"Yes. You even managed to get high on a marijuana cigarette. What was that like?"

"Like being drunk without the hangover."

"I might try one myself. All right, how much can you afford to pay?"

"I can ask Julia for an advance."

"For get it. We'll just trade favors. Some time or other I will collect,"

"You think that you can handle it?

"I will not say anything yet, because all the info is not in, but I think that you may be getting Wilson over a barrel soon. Stall him in the meantime."

* * *

"All right, Larry. Are you ready to make a statement?" George asked the bearded man in front of him.

"I am not! Joe promised me I wouldn't have to!"

Joe Haskell shook his head. "Sorry, Larry, but what I said was that we had enough to charge you, but that we'd go easy on you if you cooperated."

"You can't!"

"I can identify that contraption as some of your artwork. And your reaction when you saw it proves that you know it is radioactive. All we want to know if how many more of these things are there, and where did you get the material to make them."

"But I told you where they came from!"

"Yes. But in case you send us in a wild goose chase, we want a notarized statement so we can send to jail if you don't tell the truth." George said.

"Larry" Joe was conciliatory. "We are not interested in prosecuting you, nor on making any trouble for you. But we do already have one case of radiation poisoning.. We want to make sure we don't get more...Please help us."

"I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. I mean, those were discards... No one was using them.." Larry said. "It was not as if I was stealing."

"Nobody accuses you of stealing. We want only to have a complete statement about the source of the environmental pollution. We want something we can show to the EPA."

"You are not going to prosecute me?"

"If you keep aggravating us like this, we will" George muttered, but then added "no charges whatsoever will be lodged against you if you just make a statement."

"You give your word?"

"You have it."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Barnabas could almost feel pity towards Wilson. He had come to the meeting expecting to claim his prize, to find Barnabas cowering and hating himself for what he had to do.

Instead he found him smiling widely and wearing the T-shirt he had borrowed from Willie for the occasion.

"What's the meaning of this?" he spluttered as he read the legend over Barnabas' chest.

"Don't you think it is appropriate?" Barnabas said mildly "after all, you have a nuclear plant."

"Are you trying the Jane Fonda gambit? It won't work" Wilson said despectively..

"It will work, all right. Read this" he extended a copy of the statement that George had gotten out of Larry Hayes. "It is an interesting story."

"I don't have the time to read this garbage, and neither do you."

"On the contrary, we have all the time in the world" his face hardened. "we have a confirmed case of radiation poisoning in town. And we can tie you to it."

"You can't"

"Read it. It tells the whole story. You see, there is this artist who makes sculpture out of scrap metal to sell to the summer tourists. He has a friend who is a janitor at the power plant.. This friend tells him that he can get him some unusual scrap metal."

"So?"

"He gets a lot of scrap metal, and makes a lot of sculptures. He also begins to get sick. So does his friend. He gets curious about the scrap metal, and finds it comes from a nuclear power plant. He realizes that he's handling contaminated material. You can guess how scared he gets. He has to go to the doctor, but he doesn't dare to reveal how he got infected, he might get into trouble if it comes out. So he buries the sculptures as well as the unused scrap metal, Gets out of town. drives through a recognized test site, and comes back and gets treatment for exposure there. His friend does the same thing. And the sculptures remain there until someone digs them up."

"I don't see how we can be liable for what this man did."

"You don't see? Don't try to act stupid. You'd have never gotten a Harvard degree that way. How come a janitor can walk away with contaminated material so easily? Aren't you supposed to keep track of all material? What kind of security do you have?"

Wilson flinched. "You forget that we still have those photos of yours."

"How much good will they do to you once I place a call to Jane Fonda? She will love this story. What did you say about a lynch mob not listening to reasons? I'd like to see you address one, explaining how your company isn't in any way responsible."

"What we have on you is a lot worse than what you have on us." Wilson tried to bluff hi way out.

"That's not true and you know it. People are a lot more scared of radioactivity than of vampires, if it comes to that. Do you feel like putting it to the test?"

"All right. We are stalemated."

It was kicking him when he was down, Barnabas realized. Yet it was something that needed doing. "We are not. If you do not want this to become public you have to agree to my terms."

"Settle with Davenport out of court, of course."

"Also a complete overhaul of the security at your plant. I can arrange for regular inspections of it."

"You must be kidding."

"You don't seem to be listening. At this moment I am thinking that I should report you and damn the consequences to myself. " he grinned "a friend of mine said I have a martyr complex. Try not to find if that is true."

So Wilson had finally gone to pieces. Not noisily. An Ivy League education served to keep you decorous at all times, if it served for nothing else.

But he was defeated. And the slight sweat over his face was as much a confession of it as if f he had gone down on his knees and begged...

* * *

"Radiation" Roxanne muttered "who would have thought of it."

Sebastian was amused at her fretting. "Relax, you are not going to glow in the dark. If Governor Thornburgh of Pennsylvania can survive Three Mile Island, you can survive Roger Collins."

"I thought he tasted funny. I had a feeling that something was wrong."

"Nothing will happen to you."

Roxanne put her hands over her head. "Will you still love me when I go bald?"

"Roxanne! Don't get carried away. Roger is going to be fine, and so will you."

* * *

Maybe Mrs. Collins would help him out, Wilson thought. If she didn't he would have to accept the terms that Barnabas had given him. And he hated doing it.

Carolyn was at her desk, dictating a letter to Nicholas when Wilson was admitted to her presence..

"We cannot guarantee that we will continue to hold your order" he head her say "unless you provide us with further evidence of your interest."

Wilson coughed slightly, making her look up and see him.

"Yes?" she said in a cold voice.

"My name is Clarence Wilson, Mrs. Collins. I represent the power plant."

Carolyn accepted his card and looked at him with hostility. "Why do you want to see me?" she asked.

"We have some enemies in common, Mrs. Collins. if we get together, we can beat them"

"What do you mean by 'we'?" Carolyn asked glacially.

"You and us, or course."

"At this moment you are my enemy, Mr. Wilson" Carolyn rose from her seat. "it was my uncle who went to the hospital with radiation poisoning. And everybody in this house was exposed to it. If thanks to that I will never be able to bear children, I will make you regret the day you came to Maine."

"Mrs. Collins..." Wilson insisted.

"I'd appreciate if you left and never came back."

* * *

How will the working relationship of Barnabas with Julia work out? When will she fire him for real? Will Roxanne remember any of her past? What will Roger try next once he's recovered? Will Chris keep on raiding chicken coops or go for something more serious? And what about Maggie? Will she finally get treatmetn for what Kira did to her?

Stay tuned.


End file.
